This Sunday, the WWE presents Hell in a Cell live from the American Airlines Center in Dallas as four WWE Superstars prepare to enter hell.
Countdown: Top 5 Hell in a Cell Matches Of All Time
While there is no WWE World Heavyweight Championship match due to the nature of Brock Lesnar's contract, the WWE has two Hell in a Cell matches planned with the first pitting Dean Ambrose against Seth Rollins and the second seeing John Cena and Randy Orton clash to determine who will be the No. 1 contender for Lesnar's title.
The WWE has stuffed eight matches -- four title bouts -- into this show and it should be a solid card even without a WWE Championship match, though the high amount of WWE pay-per-views make it hard for this event to feel all that important.
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Here are some predictions and the latest news and rumors surrounding every bout with a little bit of Hell in a Cell match history sprinkled in.
WWE Tag Team Championships-Goldust & Stardust (c) vs. The Usos:
This match would make for an exciting opener, though it will be interesting to see if the WWE toys with the idea of opening and closing the show with a cell match. The IC match could also make a good opener. This has been a solid feud over the tag titles as The Usos are out to gain the belts back after dropping them last month while the Rhodes brothers look to hang onto them. The heel turn of Goldust & Stardust late this summer was one of the smartest things the WWE has done in quite some time. It's hard to see The Usos winning the titles back just a month after dropping them, so it appears as though Goldust & Stardust will leave Dallas with the gold.
The Pick: Goldust & Stardust
Sunday will mark the 29th and 30th Hell in a Cell matches of all time, but none of that would be possible without the very first one in October 1997 that pitted The Undertaker against Shawn Michaels and saw the debut of Kane at Badd Blood:
Intercontinental Championship 2 out of 3 Falls Match-Dolph Ziggler (c) vs. Cesaro:
This match has potential to be the Match of the Night, though it has the tall task of out-dueling the two Hell in a Cell bouts. Ziggler and Cesaro can both bring it and the WWE Universe should expect nothing less in this match, though the fact that it's 2 out of 3 falls leads to the fear that the WWE will rush it. As far as a winner, it seems unclear what the WWE's direction is with Cesaro so I'm unsure if they'd put a midcard title on him at this juncture. The company has screwed up the momentum he built during the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania XXX with inconsistent booking. It seems more logical that Ziggler keeps the title since he's played hot-potato with The Miz over the belt over the last few months and the title can use a stable champion for a couple of months. It will likely, as always, require three falls to finish.
The Pick: Dolph Ziggler
One of the most memorable Hell in a Cell matches saw The Undertaker battle Mankind at King of the Ring 1998:
Singles Match-Nikki Bella vs. Brie Bella:
To be honest, this feud doesn't do much for me and I'm a bit confused as to why No. 1 babyface John Cena doesn't address the fact that his girlfriend is now one of the top heel Divas on WWE television. I'm sure he probably addresses it on Total Divas, but for the part of the WWE Universe that doesn't watch that show (such as yours truly) it doesn't make much sense that Cena hasn't addressed it on RAW. The stipulation here is that the loser must be the winner's assistant for 30 days. I could see the WWE going either way on this as it is conceivable Brie could pick up the win and get some revenge after her sister scorned her at SummerSlam and has been nagging her in the weeks since while Nikki winning and making her sister do unspeakable things would be a great way to generate heat. While it seems like a perfect time for Brie to gain some revenge, the WWE probably wants to keep building Nikki as a big time heel, but it's a tossup.
The Pick: Nikki Bella
In 2000, Triple H and Cactus Jack clashed in an epic Hell in a Cell match at No Way Out:
United States Championship-Sheamus (c) vs. The Miz w/ Damien Mizdow:
This match has potential to be pretty good as Sheamus has really developed into a good worker after the WWE rushed his push earlier in his career. Damien Sandow at the side of The Miz has actually been pretty entertaining and one of the better things the company has had for Sandow in quite some time. Sheamus has had the belt for a while now, so there's a good chance that it changes hands here, likely with Sandow aiding The Miz to victory. It's highly likely that Sandow will figure in the finish regardless of who the winner is as he'll either screw it up for The Miz or help him to victory. I believe it might be time to take the belt off of Sheamus as he's had it since May. With me picking Ziggler to retain the IC title, it'd be nice to see one face have a midcard title and a heel hold the other, possibly leading to the two captaining traditional Survivor Series teams next month in a battle for bragging rights. I wouldn't be surprised if this match is pushed to the pre-show considering The Miz and Sandow are booked for a segment on it already.
The Pick: The Miz
Six men competed inside a Hell in a Cell for the first and only time at Armageddon 2000:
Hell in a Cell Match-Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins:
Finally, the feud between these two comes to a head in what will likely out-duel Cesaro-Ziggler for Match of the Night. It seems like the Cena/Orton match will go on last given the No. 1 contender stipulation and it is likely they won't do both cell matches back-to-back, so I could see this either going on first or in the middle of the card. This should be amazing as both men have really sold the hatred they share for each other as of late and both can impress inside the ring. This one is really hard to pick a winner as the WWE seems to be high on both guys. Ambrose could win and get his revenge for Rollins turning on The Shield over the summer and the whole cinderblock event while Rollins could use the win to fortify himself as a threat with the Money in the Bank briefcase. All in all, Rollins could probably use the win more while he may have some help from The Authority.
The Pick: Seth Rollins
Triple H and Shawn Michaels clashed in a memorable Hell in a Cell match at Bad Blood in 2004:
Singles Match: The Big Show vs. Rusev:
This should be an interesting match due to the sheer size of both competitors and because wherever Lana goes, I am interested, but I'm not too excited about this contest. The Rusev character hasn't done too much for me while The Big Show is kind of stale. It would be interesting if Mark Henry turned his back on The Big Show during this match, though it wouldn't make much sense for the former Olympian to turn his back on America and join the Russian duo. Still, since Henry failedto defeat Rusev last month, the WWE could play up a jealousy angle. While this is probably the best chance we have at seeing Rusev lose, if the rumors of him facing John Cena at WrestleMania 31 are true, the WWE may keep him looking strong for the long haul.
The Pick: Rusev
In 2006, The Big Show teamed with Vince and Shane McMahon to take on D-X inside the cell at Unforgiven:
WWE Divas Championship Match-AJ Lee (c) vs. Paige:
This has been a nice feud as these two have really carried the Divas division over the last few months, but the WWE needs to start developing more compelling Divas or call them up from NXT to the main roster before this feud begins to get stale. Still, both ladies can bring it and they definitely will put on a solid match Sunday night. As far as a winner, much like the IC title this championship has flip-flopped so many times it makes sense to keep the gold on Lee, unless the WWE wants to punish her for her relationship with CM Punk, but that seems like a long-shot at this point.
The Pick: AJ Lee
A memorable Hell in a Cell match saw The Undertaker battle Triple H at WrestleMania XXVIII:"
No. 1 Contender for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship Hell in a Cell Match-John Cena vs. Randy Orton:
I'm probably not alone on this, but I think I've had my fill of Cena vs. Orton matches for this lifetime, and the two already squared off in a Hell in a Cell match in 2009. This match should still be solid, but the Cena vs. Orton formula has just grown stale for me. The WWE was careful not to make this seem like the "losers match" but Ambrose defeated Cena for the rights to face Rollins and then Cena settled for Orton so what are we supposed to think? The WWE tried to build up the credibility of the bout by adding the No. 1 contender stipulation and that leads me to believe that it will go on last. As long as both men bring their A-game this should be a good enough match, but like I said the Cena vs. Orton program is just stale and redundant at this point. As far as a winner, it appears as though Brock Lesnar won't have another match until the Royal Rumble and since he is rumored to face Cena, the smart money is on Cena earning the No. 1 contender position with this match and holding it until the New Year. Also, with me picking Rollins to win the earlier cell match, it makes sense for the babyface to win here.
The Pick: John Cena
Cena vs. Orton in a cell already happened back at Hell in a Cell in 2009:
Last Word: As I said above, this has potential to be a solid pay-per-view on paper, but it's just so hard to get into it each month as the WWE offers so many PPVs within a calendar year. Outside of the Big Four (though Survivor Series has been lagging) and Money in the Bank, it's hard to really get into some of the WWE's pay-per-views. I almost wonder if it'd be better if they'd dust off Halloween Havoc from WCW and put on a bunch of scary themed matches such as Buried Alive, Hell in a Cell or even War Games as a way to make this pay-per-view a little more marketable. Perhaps, they should offer six three-hour pay-per-views and six two-hour WWE Network specials to force home the idea of getting the network and to make the pay-per-views seem important.
The WWE presents Hell in a Cell live Sunday night from the American Airlines Center in Dallas.
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